View from Oklahoma: 'We've got our hands full'

Oklahoma beat Villanova 78-55 on Dec. 7 in a military gym in Honolulu. Now the teams meet again at Houston's NRG Stadium on Saturday in the Final Four. The Sooners say they've put that game behind them.

"This is a different time of the year," said OU point guard Isaiah Cousins. "Villanova's playing really well right now."

There is reason to believe Cousins means it. Much has changed since Dec. 7. For instance, on Pearl Harbor Day, one of the keys to OU's victory was the play of freshman Rashard Odomes. In 14 minutes against 'Nova, Odomes played 14 minutes and had five points. OU used three spurts to blow out the Wildcats. Odomes was part of all three spurts.

But since Dec. 23, Odomes has played only 18 minutes total, all in mop-up duty. Fellow freshman Christian James has replaced Odomes in the rotation.

So these teams are different than they were in Honolulu.

"We know the personnel," Sooners coach Lon Kruger said. "That's about the only thing we'll take from that first game. They're playing with great confidence now, they're playing with a swagger, they're shooting the ball well. Really bought in defensively.

"Great team performance. Our guys know that. They've followed Villanova throughout the year. No. 1 team the last month of the season. So it's not like they've gone under the radar. Our guys know that they're a very very good team that's playing really well right now. They beat a really good Kansas team that was playing great. We didn't do that. We've got our hands full."

Against 'Nova, the Sooners survived a subpar game from Buddy Hield, who made just 6 of 17 shots and finished with 18 points. Isaiah Cousins had 19 points and 10 assists, Ryan Spangler had 11 points and 10 rebounds, Dinjyl Walker scored 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, and the Sooners slowly put away the Wildcats.

With help from Odomes. After OU got up 15-3, Villanova rallied to tie it at 26. But the Sooners took a 32-26 halftime lead, with one of the buckets coming from Odomes, a 6-foot-6 wing from Copperas Cove, Texas.

Ahead 62-49 midway through the fourth quarter, Odomes made a foul shot and Walker a three-point shot. Suddenly it was 66-49 and the game was over.

Odomes said he remembers "the energy that we all had," in that game. "We all were playing as a team. Buddy was making shots. Jordan [Woodard] was making shots. Dinjyl came in making shots. Everyone was just playing good, moving the ball well."

Odomes said his lesson from that game is "just being prepared whenever he throws you in, really. You never know. Opportunity comes at any time. You've got to be ready for it. I feel like I was ready for it."

Now Odomes is unlikely to play against Villanova. He seems to have adjusted well.

"This is a veteran team," Odomes said Monday. "[Kruger] trusts his veterans. We all have trust in our veterans. It is what it is."